Andrew Symonds bowls streaker over

A streaker was stopped in his tracks during a limited-overs cricket international match when he was flattened by Australia allrounder Andrew Symonds.

The naked man ran onto the pitch and toward Symonds at the non-striker's end yesterday as he tried to evade police and ground security staff at the Australia versus India match at the Gabba.

Symonds stood his ground and leaned into the streaker in a rugby-style shoulder charge, dropping him instantly to the ground in the 10th over of Australia's reply.

The streaker was escorted from the field by police and Symonds continued to bat with opener Matthew Hayden. Australia were 34-for-three at the time, chasing 259 to win and keep the three-match series alive.

Symonds could face a serious punishment if the International Cricket Council decides that he breached section 4.2 of the player's code of conduct relating to a physical assault of a rival player, an official or a spectator.

The sanction for that is a suspension from five Test matches or 10 limited-overs internationals up to a life ban.

The streaker was escorted from the field by police. He faces a fine up to A$3,000 (US$2,800) for the pitch invasion and is expected to be charged with willful exposure by Queensland state police.

Broadcasters said they could not remember a similar incident.

Greg Chappell, a former Australia captain, escaped a fine for hitting a streaker on the buttocks with a bat during a match in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1976.

In this series of photos from top to bottom, Australia's Andrew Symonds shoulder-charges a pitch invader during the second match of the Tri-Series one-day international cricket final against India in Brisbane, Australia, yesterday. PHOTOS: AP